The Talk
by ananova
Summary: Inuyasha comes looking for Kagome but runs into Mrs. Higurashi instead who asks him to talk with her. Set in early canon.


Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. In other words, I don't own and I make no money from this.

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Originally posted to The Inuyasha Fanfic Contest on February 14, 2012 for Prompt #276 Adolescent. Won 1st place.

Title: The Talk

Author: ananova

Rating: T

Prompt: Adolescent (The Inuyasha Fanfic Contest)

Genre: Friendship

Word Count: 1430

Summary: Inuyasha comes looking for Kagome but runs into Mrs. Higurashi instead who asks him to talk with her. Set in early canon.

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Inuyasha slid the door to the well-house open, grumbling as he peered out into the courtyard of the shrine. "Damn girl. She should have been back this morning. Doesn't she realize how important it is find the shards?" Finding the courtyard to be empty except for the old man sweeping on the other side, he sped for the house, a red and silver blur. He leaped up on to the window sill he knew belonged to Kagome, knowing even before he peered inside that she wasn't present. He frowned. "Where the hell is she?"

Slipping into the open window he carefully sniffed the room, becoming even more irritated when he realized that her scent was hours old. He glared back out the window in the direction of the loud and smelly city, not wanting to have to track her through that chaos. Footsteps approaching his position had him turning, one hand going to the hilt of his sword. He relaxed and released his grip once Mrs. Higurashi poked her head in the door.

"Oh, Inuyasha-kun. I thought I heard someone up here." She offered him a bright smile, reminiscent of her daughter. "Kagome's at school, she won't be back for a few more hours."

The hanyou instantly scowled at that news, folding his arms over his chest in irritation. 'Damn it,' he thought.

Mrs. Higurashi saw the look on his face. "Here, come with me. I'll fix you something to eat." Without giving him time to protest, she quickly shepherded him down to the kitchen where she set a bowl of rice and some fish before him.

Inuyasha glanced between her and the food, not sure of how to react to her generosity. However, he wasn't going to turn down a free meal and quickly began to eat.

"Oh, my. You must be hungry. Don't worry, there's more where that came from," Mrs. Higurashi beamed at him as she began to prepare the ingredients for dinner. "Actually, I'm glad you stopped by," she said as she began to chop the vegetables, smile still firmly in place on her face. Inuyasha glanced up at her words but continued to shovel food into his mouth. "I've been wanting to talk with you for a while now."

Inuyasha stilled his movements at her words, placing the chopsticks down. He didn't know why, but something about her tone made him instantly wary. "'Bout what," he asked.

She continued to chop the vegetables as she answered. "Just what are your plans for my daughter?"

He frowned, not sure what she meant. "What do you mean? I got no plans for her other than needing her help to track down the shards. She broke the jewel and I need her help to find them and fix it."

She nodded at his answer, having expected it from Kagome's complaints. Still, she kept the smile on her face as she fixed him with a look. "There is a reason I ask. I know that in your time Kagome would be considered an adult. But here she is still an adolescent, not fully grown. Her life is still governed by her parents' decisions, my decisions."

Inuyasha blinked at that, surprised by this news. 'She's still considered a child?' An image of her in her school uniform flashed through his mind. Despite the slight flush that tinged his cheeks he couldn't help but wonder 'How the hell can she still be considered a child when she looks like _that_?' Though he knew better than to say that in earshot of the girl's mother. He opened his mouth to question Mrs. Higurashi about why she brought this up when the woman continued.

"Now, I know that it is important for Kagome to help find the jewel shards, that she wouldn't have been brought to your time if the Kami hadn't willed it. However," the smile on her face finally dropped as she pinned him with a serious look. "If you ever allow her to be harmed when you could have stopped it, then Kagome will no longer be allowed to travel to your era. I am her mother and it is my decision whether she travels through the well or not." She saw the young man getting ready to protest and continued. "And if you are the one to hurt her I will cut off your ears and other body parts and feed them to you. Understand?"

Inuyasha's gaze was drawn to the wickedly sharp knife she still held in her hand as she said the last part. He gulped, the aforementioned ears flattening against his head as he saw that even without looking at her hands she had managed to finely chop all of the vegetables while she had been speaking to him. He quickly nodded his understanding. "I promised to protect her," he said. "And I always keep my promises."

The smile quickly reappeared on her face as she set the knife down. "Good." She reached out and tweaked one of his triangular ears. "I would so hate to see anything happen to your cute ears. Would you care for some more fish?"

Before he could reply, they heard the door to the house slide open and closed. "I'm home," Kagome's voice called through the house. Inuyasha felt relief fill him, though he did his best not to let it show.

"Hi Mama," the girl greeted as she entered the kitchen before spotting the other occupant. "Inuyasha? What are you doing here?"

"Oh, he was just waiting for you. I offered him lunch and we had a nice talk about his era."

Kagome looked confusedly between the two, taking in the bright smile on her mother's face and the pinched, unsure look on the hanyou's. "Okay," she said, still confused and turned to Inuyasha. "I just have to grab my bag and I'll be ready to go."

"Good, it's about time." He glanced at the still smiling mother and added, "I'll be waiting outside." He quickly made his retreat.

Kagome quickly retrieved her yellow bag from her room and returned to the kitchen to hug her mother goodbye.

"Here, Kagome. I made a bento for you." Mrs. Higurashi pressed the package into her daughter's hands. "What a nice boy that Inuyasha is, so polite. Well have fun." She shooed her daughter toward the door.

Kagome was only further confused by her mother's words. 'Inuyasha, polite?' she thought. 'Did hell freeze over?' Exiting the house she quickly spotted Inuyasha standing by Goshinboku and hurried to his side. "Well, I'm ready to go." Glancing at the boy and noticing his relief, she assumed it to be for the fact that they were finally returning to their quest. As they walked toward the well-house she found she had to say something. "Inuyasha?"

"Yeah?"

She smiled at him. "Thanks for being so polite to my mother. I really appreciate it."

His eyes widened at her words and he glanced back to the house, spotting Mrs. Higurashi watching from the window. "Scary," he muttered, too low for Kagome to make out.

"What?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh, she, uh reminds me of my mother," he said quickly before realizing that it was the truth. Mrs. Higurashi was only trying to protect her child, the same way his mother had sought to protect him when he was younger.

Kagome's eyes widened at his admission though she refrained from saying anything about it, knowing he would be embarrassed if she drew attention to the fact that he had shared something so personal. Still, she felt he deserved a reward for being so well-behaved. "I packed extra ramen and potato chips. We can have that for dinner tonight if you want," she offered.

He shook his head to clear it and slid the door to the well-house open. "Come on, we've got shards to find."

Kagome merely offered him another smile as they leaped into the well, allowing the magic of the time-slip to transport them back to the Sengoku Jidai.

Mrs. Higurashi smiled again when she saw the flash of light from the well-house signaling the departure of the two adolescents. "Be safe," she whispered, knowing that the two would share some amazing adventures as they grew into adults. She turned to finish the preparations for dinner, content with the knowledge that Inuyasha would ensure her daughter's safety.


End file.
